Brown water affecting residents of southwest Winnipeg

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Some residents in southwest Winnipeg woke up to find brown water coming from their taps Saturday morning.

According to the city, the discoloured water in south Fort Garry may be have been caused by crews doing emergency repair work to a feedermain overnight.

It added, a change in flow of water in the system can cause sediment in the water pipes to loosen and be released into the water, which causes it to turn brown.

READ MORE: ‘We’re not where we want to be’: Winnipeg brown water still flowing

Debbie Ristimaki lives on Charlottetown Road and discovered the brown water only after she had made coffee, drank water and did some laundry.

“Well luckily we had some bottled water in the fridge, for you know brushing your teeth and that kind of thing, but truth be told I find it disappointing that the city leaves it on you to discover that,” Ristimaki said.

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Ristimaki said she checked the city’s website but didn’t see a notification.  She then checked a neighbourhood Facebook page and discovered people reporting having brown water Friday night.

“If there was already people with brown water at 10 p.m. last night and this has been ongoing for quite a while, the question is how come there is no messaging.”

Ristimaki said the city needs to implement a notification system when things like this happen.

“To me there should be a way to advise residents in different areas if there is an issue affecting them, so whether it’s a text, email, or something.”

The city is advising residents with discoloured water to not drink it, use it to prepare food or beverages, wash dishes or do laundry.